Monday 11 August 2014

SALLY - 10 months old female crossbreed - on death row in Croatia

Meet adorable Sally, a 10 months old crossbreed on death row.


Sally is a small dog, currently 7.8kg and not expected to grow a lot more. She is a sweet girl, likes her cuddles and her beautiful brown eyes seem to say "Could you be the one who will love me forever?" Sally is good with other dogs and all people. She has had a rough life, living on the streets, with daily fights for food, being abused by locals and chased by other dogs. It is amazing that she has retained her gentle nature.

Sally may not have much time left as her death date will come all too quick.  Stray and abandoned dogs in Croatia are often brutally treated and abused.  A life on the streets is a miserable existence with the danger of starvation, being run down by cars (frequently deliberately), violence at the hands of people or other dogs and and suffering due to disease and lack of treatment but the dog who is picked up and taken to the pound has only 60 days and then by Croatian law they must be killed. 


However, we are fortunate enough in this kill shelter to have a resident vet who is also the manager as part of our network of animal rescuers.  He tries to get the dogs adopted and extends their time to do so but if the local city hall should order him to kill those who have reached their 60 days in the pound the law can't be resisted. This law is not the only danger of death in this pound, overcrowding is sometimes the cause of death and injury due to fights.

The vet does his best with the limited resources available, local volunteers are recruited to come and walk the dogs on a Saturday afternoon. This is the only time of the week the dogs can leave the pens and there can be long periods when the walks are not possible and due to the ratio of dogs to volunteers some will not get exercised at all.

These dogs have basic care but they suffer in the pound from stress, boredom, fear and sadness. They are all desperate to get out of their prison and be loved and part of a family.

Vaccinated: yes
Neutered: yes, at point of travel
Treated for fleas and worms: yes

Microchipped: yes
EU passport: yes

Weight: 7.8kg
Age: 18/24 months 
Located: Beli Manistir pound